'Little E' races to first career pole

With the crowd screaming him on, rookie Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the first pole of his career Wednesday night when he ran a blistering 186.034 mph to take the top spot for Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600.

Earnhardt was the 45th of 48 cars to try to qualify. He brought the crowd to its feet and drew an enormous group of followers as he made his way to his car, then patiently waited to run his two laps around Lowe's Motor Speedway.

When it was finally his turn, he raced around the 11/2-mile, high-banked tri-oval, knocking Jerry Nadeau off the pole and breaking the 6-year-old track qualifying record of 185.759 mph.

He then cruised back into the garage with a huge smile on his face as he ignored a request his father, Dale Earnhardt, made over the radio.

''He asked me if he could have this car,'' he said.

The answer was a resounding no. After all, Earnhardt Jr. was driving the same car he used last month at Texas when he picked up his first career victory.

It was only fitting for Earnhardt Jr. to bring the car here, his home track and the same race he made his Winston Cup debut in last season.

''Any chance you can have success and excel in front of a home crowd, it's a little more enjoyment,'' Earnhardt Jr. said. ''Coming here, where I used to come watch my dad race, I never dreamed I'd be running around this track, or doing it that fast.''

But here he is, a rookie on the Winston Cup circuit and the most dominating driver so far this year. He's NASCAR's only two-time winner this season and also pulled off a surprising win in last week's all-star race.

''We've had some bumps in the road and some weeks haven't been as fun as others,'' he said. ''But we've been on a roll here at Charlotte and now we're getting a taste of some success. It feels pretty good.''

Nadeau, who ran a fast lap speed of 185.122 mph, will start second.

''That's all I had, I had nothing left in the car,'' Nadeau said. ''It just wasn't enough.''